David Lasus often says if he wasn’t a pet owner, he wouldn’t be at Heart + Paw today, let alone be its chief executive officer. The importance of treating your pet like family spoke directly to David in a way that nothing else ever had after a life-affirming experience with his best friend — a Boston terrier named Oreo.
Lasus wished for a dog throughout childhood. In college, he was finally able to adopt his very first dog. Facing mental health challenges, Lasus was driven to welcome a dog into his life for companionship, which ended up not only changing but also saving his life. Today, Lasus is married with three children of his own and, of course, he’s had a dog ever since.
Heart + Paw is a multiservice pet care company specializing in veterinary care, dog day care, grooming and boarding. But it goes beyond just providing veterinary services. The company’s mission is to treat pets and their owners like family, offering a low-stress, high-quality experience from start to finish. Heart + Paw’s facilities, advanced technologies and team of experts ensure that pets receive the best care possible, the company said.
From its humble beginnings in Philadelphia in 2018, the company has grown to 28 locations across 10 states. This growth has been accompanied by numerous accolades, including Great Place to Work Certification and recognition as a Top Workplace by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Long before joining Heart + Paw, Lasus left a comfortable, stable job for a new, growing company, Insomnia Cookies. He called it the biggest risk of his professional career, although the timing was right, and it set the stage for his future success.
“Everyone in my professional life was shocked at the risk I was taking by leaving a stable, comfortable job and moving on to a young company,” Lasus said. “As I was preparing to transition, I received more than one incredulous comment about heading to a ‘milk and cookies company.’ However, I believed in what Insomnia Cookies was trying to do and trusted my instincts that this was the right move and that I could help vault them to the next level of success. This was back in 2011, and I had to stick with my convictions and believe in what was possible. This was before I had my kids, and I knew while there’s never an ideal time to take a huge risk, this was the perfect window. I was able to completely devote myself to doing something new, risky and exciting, and all of the hard work paid off.”
